Only two years removed from a very productive season, Mendenhall has the highest ceiling of any player here and looks like the leader in the clubhouse.

Carolina Panthers:Jonathan Stewart's recovery from multiple ankle surgeries is par for the course considering his offseason history. The team seems unsure whether he'll be ready for camp. The new contract for DeAngelo Williams makes it more likely he'll stick around after this year and open the season as the starter. For now, there's no reason to believe that Mike Tolbert or rookie Kenjon Barner will get significant snaps if Stewart and Williams are healthy.

Green Bay Packers: This might be the most fascinating, wide open and impactful battle in the league. Third-year pro Alex Green took the snaps with the No. 1 offense during the offseason, yet absolutely no one seems to believe he'll stay there. Rookie Eddie Lacy is theoretically the favorite to start. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers lauded his patience as a runner and alluded to Lacy's learning curve in the offense. (This is typical for any rookie.) Rodgers also wondered aloud what DuJuan Harris could do as a feature back; Harris is expected to be ready for camp after having a cyst removed from his lung.

And we haven't even mentioned promising rookie Johnathan Franklin and James Starks yet. In short: Lacy and Harris might have a slight edge in this battle heading into camp, but it's the competition to watch above all others in August.

New York Giants:David Wilson is fully expected to be the Giants' starter. That much is clear after minicamps, but there is a big question of how big a workload the Giants will give him. Andre Brown reportedly could be a goal-line back, but it's an underwhelming group behind Wilson. A veteran addition would make sense here, too.